ESERT NVIRONMENT EWSLETTER - ENVIS Resource ...

DOORWAYTO

PROGRESSIN

DESERT

Volume 18 (2)April - June 2016

ENVIS Centre on Combating Desertification

ICAR-CAZRI

• From the Desk of Chairman

• Know Your Desert- Declining Ground water table-A serious threat for the future of Arid Zone

• Know Your Desert plant- Glossonema varians

• Technological Options-Agricultural Disaster Management in Hot Arid Zone

• Know Your Institutions- Ground Water Department, Jodhpur, Rajasthan

• Knowledge Corner-Drinking Water Standards

• Events

• Conferences

• News

Hosted byICAR- Central Arid Zone Research Institute

Jodhpur

Supported byMinistry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change

Government of India

Published byENVIS CENTRE

on Combating Desertification

In this issue :

DEN

ESERTNVIRONMENT EWSLETTER

DESERT ENVIRONMENT NEWSLETTER

2

Address for Correspondence

Dr. Suresh KumarENVIS Coordinator

ICAR - Central Arid Zone Research Institute

Jodhpur 342003, INDIA

Phone

+91 291 2786931

Visit us at

http://www.cazrienvis.nic.in

Email at

[email protected], [email protected]

Editors: Dr. O.P. Yadav, Dr. Suresh Kumar,

Dr. R.S Tripathi, Dr. D. Saha and Sh. Tirth Das

Dr. O.P. YadavDirector CAZRI & Chairman

Dr. Suresh KumarENVIS Coordinator

Dr. R.S. TripathiMember

Dr. D. SahaMember

Sh. Tirth DasMember Secretary

Dr. Kulloli R. N.Programme Officer

Er. Akshay BhardwajInformation Officer

Miss. Taru MathurI.T. Assistant

ENVIS TEAM

“Bin Pani Sab Sooon” says an old Rajasthani adage which means

everything is barren and desolate without water. In all Vedic scriptures, water is

also recognised as one of the five fundamental constituents of all life on the

earth. Truely so, but water assumes much more importance in deserts than in any

other part of the earth. This issue of Desert Environment Newsletter therefore

touches upon various issues related to water. A detailed account of declining

ground water table and its contamination by industrial effluents in Rajasthan

should ring the alarm bells. In the knowledge corner is given drinking water standards. Drought, dust

storms, heat waves, cold waves and flash floods are regular agricultural disasters and hence their

mitigation and management find a place in our feature “Technological options”. Ground Water

Department of Government of Rajasthan has been playing a pivotal role in prospecting,

developing and planning of water and it's contributions are summarized in “Know Your Institutions”.

A rare plant, Glossonema varians is also detailed besides regular columns on “Events” and

“Conferences”.

Hope this issue is liked by you all.

From the desk of chairman

(O.P. Yadav)


Know your Desert: Declining Groundwater Table: A Serious Threat for the Future of Arid Zone

Ground water plays a major role in life support to mankind and is the major source to meet the domestic,

irrigation and industrial demands. It is available in wide range of rock types and usually requires little or no treatment;

therefore often cheapest and simplest source of water supply. The agriculture sector in India accounts for more than 85%

of the total water use for irrigation. Ground water meets 51 percent of the irrigation potential in India through more than 4

million dug wells, 5 million shallow tube wells and around 90,000 public tube wells. Historically, groundwater abstraction

from shallow aquifers has been limited mainly because of limitation of water lifting devices. However, a substantial

increase in groundwater has been observed after 1950's due to increased number of wells and energized pumps

capable of much discharge. The rapid development of groundwater resources resulted in fast decline of water table in

most parts of India.

Depletion of groundwater is becoming the major problem in western and peninsular India and in most of the

urban areas across Asia. Overuse of the groundwater resource is depleting water tables resulting the drilling of ever-

deeper wells and an ever-increasing cost of tapping those aquifers in Gujarat and Rajasthan States. The number of tube 2wells has been increased tremendously over past 4 decades. The overall well (all types) density (per 1000 km ) for the

state of Rajasthan has increased from 1489 in the year 1953 to 3944 in the year 1999. The situation is very alarming in

western arid part of state where well density has increased from 3435 to 13850 (including 2893 deep tubewells) for the

same period leading to wide spread decline in groundwater levels (Fig.1). Due to over mining, groundwater levels are

declining in 9 districts out of 12 districts of arid Rajasthan since 1984. The three exceptions are namely Bikaner,

Ganganagar and Hanumangarh districts which show a rising trend of groundwater table in some parts due to over

irrigation from Indira Gandhi Nahar Pariyojana. The causes of groundwater depletion are linked with population growth,

economic expansion, decline in groundwater recharge and over-abstraction caused by the rapid increase in the

number of wells and tube wells and the progress in pumping technologies.

Over-exploitation of groundwater resources not only

depletes the reserve but also deteriorates the quality of

groundwater and poses a potential threat to the freshwater in

maintaining demand and supply. The natural chemical

composition of groundwater is influenced predominantly by type &

depth of soils and subsurface geological formations through which

groundwater passes. Groundwater quality is also influenced by

contribution from the atmosphere and surface water bodies.

Groundwater contains a wide variety of dissolved inorganic

chemical constituents in various concentrations, resulting from

chemical and biochemical interactions between water and the

geological materials. Inorganic contaminants including salinity,

chloride, fluoride, nitrate, iron and arsenic are important in

determining the suitability of groundwater for drinking and other

purposes. Generally the groundwater quality of western arid

Rajasthan is poor (brackish to saline) at deeper levels. High

concentrations of some water quality parameters such as salinity,

chloride, fluoride, iron, arsenic and nitrate have been observed in

many parts of western Rajasthan. About 80 per cent of groundwater

has salinity more than 2.2 dS m-1. Fluoride is an endemic problem to the groundwater of this region. Recent case studies

indicate that about 95% of sites of this region contain a higher fluoride level in groundwater than the maximum

permissible limit as decided by the Bureau of Indian Standards. The presence of fluoride-bearing minerals in host rocks

and their interaction with water is considered to be the main cause for fluoride presence in groundwater.

Fig. 1 Groundwater status of arid western Rajasthan

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Quality of groundwater is also influenced by anthropogenic factors. Excessive use of fertilizers and pesticides in

agriculture and improper disposal of urban/industrial waste are also causing towards contamination of groundwater

resources. Agrochemicals in the soil can move from the surface when they are dissolved in runoff water or when they

percolate down through the soil. Those that have infiltrated the soil will eventually reach groundwater. High concentration

of nitrate (NO ) in groundwater is attributed to the 3

heavy use of nitrogenous fertilizers, cattle waste

dumping, wastewater disposal, pit latrines, etc. in

these areas. In western Rajasthan particularly in the

districts of Pali ,Barmer( Balotra) and Jodhpur

effluents to the tune of 22 million litres are

discharged daily from textile mills. In Jodhpur alone

about 7 million litres of effluents are discharged

daily which is equivalent of 8-10 per cent of the

total water consumed by the city. These effluents

along the course of their flow pollute soil as well

underground water. In Salawas village of Jodhpur

tehsil about 60 wells along the river Jojari has been

contaminated and water has become unfit for

human consumption as well as for crop

production.

The unscientific and inefficient use of groundwater is contributing to its increasing scarcity as reflected in steep

decline of water levels and under certain situations in sharp deterioration in quality as well. The two major uses of water are

drinking and irrigation, which shows avoidable losses. About 10-11 percent of the water is used for drinking. Losses in

public distribution system for drinking water are in the order of 30-40 per cent. About 83 per cent of the water is used for

irrigation (Fig. 2). Of this, 65 per cent is surface water; losses in surface water irrigation are much higher as compared to

those in ground water irrigation. Thus, about two-thirds of the water used for irrigation is affected due to inefficiency. With

efficient irrigation techniques like drip and sprinkler the stress on groundwater resources can be reduced.

Various experiments and constructions of artificial recharge structures in many projects showed that it would be

possible to recharge groundwater under different hydrogeological conditions through structures like check dams, sub-

surface dykes, gabion, percolation tanks and injection wells. It is evident that artificial recharge is going to be one of the

important planning necessities for times to come. Groundwater aquifer offers feasible alternative to store additional

quantity of water available as surplus monsoon runoff. Subsurface storage has some other advantages like little

evaporation, widely distributed, operational efficiency and available on demand compared to surface storage of water

in reservoirs. However, subsurface storage also has limitations like slow recharge rate, possible groundwater

contamination and also involve cost of extraction but potential benefits are more than surface storage of water in

reservoirs. Percolation tanks, pondage in stock tanks with infiltration galleries, sand filled dam, anicuts across the stream,

sub-surface barriers etc. are used for groundwater recharge. Adoption of conservation measures like anicuts, loose

stone check dams, brush wood check dam etc. in watershed area has resulted in recharge/increase of ground water

level @ 0.33-0.75 m year-1. In another watershed at Osian-Bigmi (1991-96), conservation measures like loose stone

check dams, vegetative barriers and anicuts resulted in rise in water table by 1.1 m indicating the effectiveness of

conservation measures for the recharge of ground water. Sub-surface barrier constructed across ephemeral streams

traps sub-surface flow to recharge groundwater aquifer. Construction of two sub-surface barrier of 10 m length each

within 300 m from water supply well was found enough to store runoff water required for a village having a population of

500. It is reported that soil conservation practices have increased recharge to an extent of 14.02 to 19.52 % of rainfall in

Udaipur region.

OPPORTUNITIES

Artificial Recharge

Fig. 2 Projected groundwater scenario of arid western Rajasthan

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Flash Flood Management

It is estimated that in the last 20 years nearly 30.3 billion cubic metres of static groundwater reserve has been

exploited in Indian arid zone of Rajasthan which is difficult to be filled in with natural recharge processes. However, there is

scope to rejuvenate up to some extent the depleted aquifer during flash flood years. Analysis of long term rainfall data

and water balance studies have shown that flash floods with frequency of occurrence once in ten years may generate

2100 – 6200 x 106 m3 excess water. If this excess water is managed to recharge the groundwater, a part of the depleted

aquifers may be recouped. The recent flood of year 2006 in various parts of western Rajasthan about 800 villages were

inundated. The volume of inundated water in village Kawas were estimated to be 86.4 million cubic meters (mcm)

whereas in another village Malwa estimated volume of flood water was 28.8 mcm. Recharge of flood water to

groundwater will not only recuperate the groundwater reserve for many years but will also provide relief on surface

conditions. Bilara limestone, Lathi and Jodhpur sandstone and alluvium aquifers covering large area in the region are

most suitable for groundwater recharge.

R.K.Goyal, Mahesh Gaur, P.C.Moharana, Dipankar Saha,

Mahesh Kumar & C.B.Pandey

ICAR-CAZRI, Jodhpur

Rare and Endemic Desert Plant: Glossonema varians (Stocks )Benth.

Glossonema varians belonging to the family Asclepiadaceae is commonly known as 'Khiroli'. Worldwide Glossonema species are distributed in Arabia, Bharin Island, Iran, Pakistan (Sindh, Baluchistan) and India (Rajasthan). In India it is represented by single species G. varians which is restricted to sand covered impeded rocky areas of western Rajasthan.

Taxonomic Characters: It is small, much branched erect herb occuring in sandy areas of Jaisalmer district. It forms perennial root stock deep in sand. Stem is terete and woody at the base (Fig. 3). Leaves are rotund, ovate-elliptic and acuminate in shape, thick, fleshy and pubescent on both surfaces. Leaves are with long pubescent petioles and crisped margin. Flowers are fragrant with lemon-yellow color Inflorescence is umbellate with 2-8 flowers. Corolla is glabrous, oblong, obtuse. Pollen masses are pendulous and attached in pairs to the pollen carrier by short caudicles. Style apex is truncate and fleshy. Fruits are follicles, long, ellipsoid, beaked and covered with soft , minute spine like processes (Fig.4). Seeds are ovate, flattened with thin membranous margin and sinuate-dentate at the broader end.

Economic Importance: The follicles are known as Khiroli and are eaten raw and rarely sold in the market. Fruit juice is used in cough and throat infections by local people. Due to over exploitation, it now stands threatened. Hence, Government of India has initiated steps for its in-situ and ex-situ conservation.

Fig. 3 Habit of Glossonema varians Fig. 4 Follicle of Glossonema varians

J.P. Singh, Kulloli R.N. and Suresh Kumar, ICAR-CAZRI

5


Technological options: Agricultural Disaster Management in Hot arid Zone

1. Drought as Disaster

The arid western Rajasthan is prone to frequent occurrence of drought due to low and erratic nature of rainfall.

Detailed analysis on drought in arid Rajasthan during the period 1901-2012 revealed the occurrence of drought once in

three to four years. Jaisalmer district in western Rajasthan is most prone to drought, which occurs almost in alternate years.

During 1901-2012, the agricultural drought in the region occurred in 70% of the years, out of which drought in 43% years

was of severe in nature and in 27% years moderate, thus drought affects considerably the crop and fodder production in

this region.

Best bet strategies include area allocation under different crops and their varieties as per climatic and social

considerations, improved cropping systems and sequences, introduction of new crops etc. which if properly dovetailed

with suitable management practices can help to mitigate the adverse effect of droughts and weather aberration. Also

with the use of weather advisory services provided by India Meteorological Department (IMD), the crop planning and

management practices can further be refined and timely implemented to combat drought.

The normal date of sowing rains (> 25 mm week-1) in western Rajasthan are between 1st to 15th July but the

onset of monsoon in the region is very erratic. Therefore, the selection of crops and their proportion will depend on varied

Agro-ecological situations (AES) and other socio-economic factors, for example, if the onset of monsoon is timely the

diversification of crops is recommended in the ratio 4:3:2:1 pearl millet, pulses, cluster bean and sesame respectively in

the situations of 300 to 400 mm rainfall having light to medium textured soils. However, the crop diversification should be

adopted with suitable crop varieties (short and medium duration) and recommended production technology. The

anticipated monsoon is divided into four periods i.e. 20-25th July, 26-31st July, 1-6th August and 7 - 15th August and a

contingency plan is drawn. The approach is to sow short duration pulses/cereals/oilseeds and also to produce fodder,

which will receive priority in case of further delay of monsoon.

1.1 Management of crops under drought

1.1.1 Contingency crop planning

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7


1.1.2 Mid-season corrections for crops already sown

1.1.3. Impact of drought on livestock; mitigation and adaptation

Long dry spell after sowing causes poor germination and death of seedlings . Under such situations field should

be kept free from weeds and dust or vegetative mulch should be applied. Besides, if rains commence, transplanting of

pearl millet can also be done. Mid season drought occurs when there is a long dry spell for consecutive 2 weeks rainless

(>2.5 mm) period or more either at vegetative or reproductive stage. Following measures are recommended:

• Timely weed control and interculture operations.

• Mulching/ crust breaking.

• Reduction of plant population - removal of alternate rows (originally spaced at 30 cm) in case of drought

• Spray of thiourea at 500ppm

• Proper plant protection measures

• Lifesaving irrigation to the crop as per availability and stage of crop

During droughts, supply of fodder becomes limited giving less nutrition thus declining production from livestock.

Therefore, drought mitigation strategies are centralized around ensuring survival of livestock by minimizing the loss of

productivity and lives by optimizing available resources, by following feeding strategies for : 1) maintenance of animals

to ensure its survival; 2) having minimum level of production and growth; 3) desired production by purchasing

supplements from outside.

Critical body weight for survival will be up to 20% of body weight loss in case of cattle, while in case of desert

animals (sheep and camel) it may be up to 30 to 40%. In case of milch and other producing animals, the only solution

lies with supplementation because productivity loss cannot be recovered by any other means.

• Optimization of feeding practices for efficient use of scarce resources becomes essential. Emphasis on green

fodder conservation becomes important. However, in the face of unpreparedness, appropriate feed enrichment

and supplementation strategies become more imperative. Choice of supplements is critical. Feed ingredients

bearing high energy/ protein are preferred with minerals. Lack of green fodder causes vitamin deficiency (particularly

Vit. A & E), therefore, supplementation becomes essential.

• Supplementary feeding of grains/oil cakes twice a week is needed. Use of grain as supplement for animals is hard to

justify because of scarce availability and long-time storage problem, hence, other sources of improved concentrate

feeds for draught animals include fodder trees and urea-treated straw (4% urea with Molasses). Wherever possible,

by-products such as oil seed cake should be used, if available at reasonable price. Partially damaged / discarded

wheat / other grains may be diverted for feeding to productive animals.

• Urea molasses enrichment of straw can be done using 1.00 quintal straw, sprinkled with 20 Litre water containing 10 kg

molasses, 1 kg urea, 500 gm mineral mixture, 50 g Brivita (Vitamin A, D3 and E) and 1 kg salt for supplementing the

feeding of affected the animals economically. If molasses is not available, ground grain can be mixed @ 1.5 kg per

10 kg urea enriched straw.

• Urea Mineral Molasses Block (UMMB) can be effectively utilized as a combined source of protein, energy and mineral

during drought situations. UMMB also help in preventing loss of fertility in case of prolonged drought. These blocks can

be easily transported over long distances.

• Grazing of poisonous plants and resulting toxicity problems become more common in the absence of quality

fodder. Awareness in farmers is essential, especially with regard to anti-nutritional / toxic factors as nitrate/ nitrite and

HCN poisoning.

• In available fallow lands, with any rainfall, farmers should grow short duration drought tolerant arid type crops like pearl

millet (Bajra, Sorghum PC6 and MP Chari) and legumes (Moong, Moth, Cowpea BL1 and BL2) as fodder and fodder

grasses (like Cenchrus ciliaris, Andropogan etc.). In the following Rabi season, similar crop of Chinese cabbage can

be grown, which has low water requirements and provides fodder during early winter months following low monsoon

rainfall.

8


The important management practices, which are to be adopted during drought condition, are:

2. Dust/wind storms as disaster

• Animal should not be kept in direct sunlight. They should be tied under a tree or in a shed. Open and partly shaded

housing may be preferred over tying animals inside the sheds. There should be no overcrowding of animals in shed

and animals should be provided proper ventilation. If the roof of the animal shed is of iron sheet it should also be

covered with thatch or asbestos sheet to cool the ambience. Upper layer of Katchha floor should be replaced with

new sand in every six month so that load of organism can be reduced. Pakka floor should be properly cleaned.

• They should be allowed to graze only in early morning or late evening. Feeding should be done during early morning

and in the late evening, as animal's water requirement will decrease.

• With drought come many diseases including Foot and Mouth disease, Hemorrhagic septicemia, Black Quarter,

anthrax, Enterotoxaemia, Ring worm, Ascariasis, Tick infestation and mange, etc. To control and prevent these

diseases, regular vaccination and deworming schedule should be followed.

• During drought there is heavy mortality in animals due to heat stroke, dehydration, infectious and non-infectious

diseases. As infected animals may spread the diseases to other animals, hence proper disposal of the carcass is

essential by burying or burning.

• Awareness must be created, to prevent animals from eating poisonous toxic material.

• Rain water harvesting and its recycling through sprinklers/drips for sustainable crop production.

• Development of common property resources viz., grazing lands, orans, nadis etc. and their efficient management to

reduce animal pressure on arable crops.

• Land use planning on watershed/Index catchment/Khadin basis with inclusion of arable crops, grasses, multipurpose

tree species and animals in farming system mode. The systems could be agri-horticulture with ber and gonda; agro-

forestry with Prosopis cinearia, Tecomella undulata, Acacia senegal; silvi-pasture (grasses viz. Cenchrus ciliaris,

Lasiurus sindicus and fodder shrubs & trees viz. Ziziphus nummularia, Hardwickia binnata, Z. rotundifolia) etc. for

sustainable agriculture production which is also conducive for drought management in annual crops.

• To evolve drought resistant and high yielding varieties of cereals, legumes, oil seeds and fodder crops.

• To popularize cultivation of drought hardy and highly remunerative traditional medicinal and high value plants like

Guggal, Asvagandha, Shatawari, Tumba, Sonamukhi etc. as new crop introductions for increased income and

better drought sustainability of arable lands.

• Development of suitable infra-structure for marketing of value added products made out of crop biomass to help

generate alternative income opportunities to the farmers.

• Harnessing of solar and wind energy for utilization in agriculture.

Sensitive fruit species are Ber, Pomegranate, Karonda, Kinnow mandarin , Lime etc. These should be managed

by 1) reducing the size of tree canopies by hedging and pruning; 2) severe pruning to reduce tree canopies in case of

ber; 3) organic/inorganic mulching of tree basin; 4) watering through drip system; 5) nutrient management through

foliar spray/ferti-drip system and 6) anti-transpirant spray to reduce transpiration loss.

-1• Wind or dust storms occur during April onwards till August when strong winds of 15 to 18 km h accentuate blown sand -1accumulation process. Occasionally, peak wind of 60-80 km h cause damages like uprooting of shallow trees and

shrubs, sand blasts causing crop loss by abrasion actions and most importantly, sand deposits on the roads, railway

lines and over other infrastructures.

• Preventive actions include sand dune stabilization, wind breaks, shelterbelts, fence line plantation, reduced or no

tillage, lay farming with grass/ legumes, growing taller crops ( Pearl millet , castor) to protect shorter crops (moth besn,

moong bean, cluster bean, cucurbits, suitable cropping patterns).

1.1.2 Long-term strategies for drought mitigation

1.2 Management plan for Arid fruit crops under drought

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3. Heat waves as disaster

4. Cold waves as disaster

5. Flash floods as disaster

Managing sensitive fruit species (Lasora, Citrus spp., Aonla, Bael) under heat wave include: 1) white washing of

the lower bare trunk portion of trees during April and again in June-July; 2) providing temporary shelter belt or shade net

screen towards wind direction; 3) wrapping of bare trunk with gunny bags or some other farm waste materials and 4)

increasing the frequency of irrigation.

Managing Sensitive fruit species (Aonla, Bael, Lasora, Ber) under cold waves includes: 1) training to low headed

tree; 2) bordeaux pasting of tree trunk; 3) wrapping of bare trunk with gunny bags or some other farm waste materials; 4)

smoking with burning of heaps of dry grass, leaves or farm waste when frost is threatened or imminent; 5) irrigating the

orchard frequently during cold spell period and 6) installing wind machine for violent movement of wind which helps to

keep away the frost.

• Sandy terrain, very deep sandy soils and shallow river channels that fail to accommodate higher volume of runoffs

during flash floods as well as obstruction in the path of some old river channels make arid zone vulnerable to this

disaster.

• Some of the preventive measures include:1) an information fact sheet about the vulnerability of flood prone areas;

2) clearing flood pathways for immediate withdrawal of flood water; 3) evacuation of low lying areas like interdune

depression areas in desert regions from habitants or industries (as it happened at Kawas and Malwa); 4) facilitating

road connectivity and 5) along with humans, taking steps for the upkeep of livestock with food/fodder stock. A prior

knowledge of the area and terrain is essential as the first step to mitigation or preventing more damages.

Besides, regular information on the state of flood flow using all possible information system (communication

systems, remote sensing and media) can reduce the damages and loss.

Suresh Kumar, A.K. Mishra, S.P.S Tanwar, P.R. Meghwal, Akath Singh, D.V Singh and Mahesh Gaur

ICAR-CAZRI, Jodhpur

10


Ground Water Department, Jodhpur, Rajasthan

In order to solve the problem of water for irrigation and drinking, Ministry of Food and Irrigation, Government of India established "Rajasthan-Bhu-Garbh- Mandal" for exploration and exploitation of ground water in 1949. In the beginning, the head quarter of the Mandal was at Jaipur, which was later shifted to Jodhpur in 1951. The Mandal started functioning under one Administrative officer with only one Rotary drilling rig and one percussion rig. In 1955 the Government of India handed over the management of the Mandal to the Government of Rajasthan which made it a full-fledged Government Department from an autonomous organization to be known as Ground Water Department.In 1956, the department had 33 Compressors, 5 Percussion rigs, one Rotary drilling rig, one welding set, 14 trucks, 7 jeeps, 2 mobile workshops, 2 blasting units, one water tanker, one lathe machine and one drill machine.Presently the Department has 3 Heavy Duty imported drilling rigs along with one indigenous rig for drilling of tube-wells. These rigs have dexterity of drilling to 350 m in hard and compact rocks. For scientific exploration, entire state was divided in 12 blocks for survey and Research by engineering, scientific and technical staff.

The important work completed in seventies by the Ground Water Department was deepening of wells by blasting in the tribal habitats of districts Dungarpur and Banswara. For augmenting water supply to Jodhpur city from Ransi gaon, for Bhilawara from Kankroliya Ghati, for Barmer from Bhadkha, for Udaipur from Jhamar kotra, for Nagaur from Khivnwsar-Khajwana, for Jaipur city from locally available ground water pockets, for Jaisalmer from Chandan and Lathi and similarly for other districts, suitable locations for drilling of tube-wells were scientifically identified and drilling units constructed successful tube-wells which became mile stone in the development of the state.Through Centrally Sponsored Scheme (CSS), the Department evaluated different scientific parameters through pumping test, provided them to the Planners which were used for the benefits of the public. Experimental tube-wells were constructed under this scheme in shallow and deep aquifers and different parameters viz. Specific yield and Safe Distances between two water extraction units were calculated.

In 1980 decade, under ARC in selected Panchayat Samiti, assuming each Panchayat Samiti as a unit, detailed investigations were done, reports were prepared and submitted to NABARD. Based on these reports, standards were fixed by NABARD, for sanctioning of loans for construction of wells/tube-wells and other agricultural needs.

In 1984, for proper Ground Water evaluation, identified Ground Water Monitoring Stations (DKW) and started regular monitoring on this network. First time in 1984 Ground Water Assessment Report was prepared on Ground Water Estimation Committee Guidelines (GEC Guidelines). Thereafter, regular monitoring was done and such valuable data were compiled that no other state in India had done it before. Based on GEC Guidelines, ground water assessment report was prepared from time to time which was used by state Planners from time to time in formulation of schemes. Brief outcomes of ground water assessment reports prepared for Rajasthan State are presented in Table 2.

Table. 2 Year wise ground water resources in Rajasthan (1984-2009)*

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In 1981-82, Drilling & Hand pump division of Public Health and Engineering Department (PHED) was carved out of Ground Water Department. Ground Water Department contributed to in the Green Revolution of the state through investigation and exploitation of ground water in desert and hilly terrain. The Department extracted ground water for development of every corner of the state but due to astounding exploitation of ground water and habit of wasting water brought ground water to a level of grave concern. In 2009, stage of ground water development was 35 % more than actual ground water recharge. In fact, ground water withdrawal more than actual annual recharge started from year 2001.People started using the STATIC GROUND WATER RESERVE from 2001. According to 2009 report, only 31 blocks were in safe category and 166 block in Over Exploited Category, whereas in 1984 only 12 blocks were Over Exploited and 203 blocks were safe. Thus, from 1984 to 2009, we have brought the situation of ground water to everyone's concern (Table 3).

The work of Aquifer mapping undertaken by the Department, loaded on the web, will enable public to manage and utilize ground water, available in their areas. The department undertook the study of artificial recharge to ground water through people's participation in three pilot areas of the state viz., Osian- Mandor in Jodhpur, Khamnor in Rajsamand and Piprali in Sikar districts. Research Design & Development (RD&D) wing of the Department conducted the study to re-construct the probable course of the lost Vedic River, Saraswati in the area of Jaisalmer, starting from Langtala-Ghotaru-Longewala-Tanot-Kishangarh-DharmiKho, under Rajiv Gandhi Drinking Water Mission. Geophysical and Hydrogeological studies, supported with exploratory drillings were done to delineate the probable course. Pollution study was also conducted by RD&D in the river courses adjacent to Balotra of district Barmer, Pali and district Jodhpur where industrial affluent is discharged, polluting nearby ground water.

Ground Water Department now has Mechanical Engineers, Hydro-geologists, Geophysicists, Chemists, Hydro-meteorologist and skilled Technical staff for handling drilling and blasting work. Facilities also includes well equipped Central Workshop to repair drilling rigs and vehicles, Central Store for procurement of materials/spares, Chemical Laboratory for analysis of water samples, Geophysical Laboratory for maintenance and repair of sophisticated geophysical instruments and Data Storage and Processing Cell (DSPC) for processing and storage of all the Hydrogeological and Geophysical data. Other assets are, 7481 nos. of District Key Wells including 2168 nos. of Piezometers, 4 Heavy Duty DTH rigs, 27 Rotary Drilling Rigs, 9 Hand Pump Drilling Rigs and 30 Blasting units. Facilities also exist for Geophysical Survey, Very Low Frequency (VLF) equipments, suitable for hard rock areas and Deep Penetration Resistivity Meters for surveying in desert and deep water table conditions and Electric Loggers for assessing quality of water and designing of pipe assembly in drilled tube-wells.

Thus, Ground Water Department has been effectively contributing in appraisal, development and planning of ground water resources of Rajasthan.

Source- Ground Water Department

Website:http://gwd.rajasthan.gov.in

Compiled by - ENVIS Team

ICAR-CAZRI, Jodhpur

Table. 3 Year wise categorization of blocks in terms of ground water situation*

12


Compiled from : www.cgwb.gov.in by Miss. Taru Mathur, IT Assistant-ENVIS, ICAR-CAZRI, Jodhpur

13

SI. No.

Substance or Characteristic

Requirement (Desirable Limit)

Undesirable Effect Outside the desirable Limit

Permissible Limit

Remarks

Essential Characteristics

i. Colour, Hasen Units 5 Above 5 consumer acceptance decreases

25 Extended to 25 only if toxic substances are not suspected in absence of alternate sources

ii. Odor Un-objectionable

- - Test cold and when heated and test of several dilutions

iii. Taste Agreeable - - Taste only after safety isestablished

iv. Turbidity NTU 5 Above 5 consumer acceptance decreases

10 -

v. pH value 6.5-8.5 Affects mucous membrane None -

vi. Total Hardness (as CaCo3) mg/l

300 Encrustation affects domestic use

600 -

vii. Iron (as Fe)

mg/l

0.3 Affects domestic uses , water supply structures, and promotes iron bacteria

1.0 -

viii. Chrorides (as Cl) mg/l 250 Affects taste, corrosion and palatability

1000 -

ix. Residual free chlorine, mg/l

0.2 - - Tested at consumer end (Min. 0.3 mg/l. to prevent viral infection)

Desirable Characteristics

x. Dissolved solids mg/l 500 Beyond this palatability decreases, causes gastro intestinal irritation

2000 -

xi. Calcium (as Ca) mg/l 75 200 -

xii. Magnesium (as Mg) mg/l

30 Encrustation affects domestic use

100 -

xiii. Copper (as Cu) mg/l 0.05 Astringent tast e, discoloration and corrosion of pipes, fitting and utensils beyond this

1.5 -

xiv. Manganese (as Mn) mg/l

0.1 Taste/appearance affects domestic uses and water supply structures

affected,

0.3 -

xv. Sulphate (as SO4) mg/l 200 Gastro intestinal irritation 400 Mg should not exceed 30

xvi. Nitrate (as NO3) mg/l 45 Methaemoglobinemia 100 - xvii. Fluoride (as F) mg/l 1.0 May cause fluorosis 1.5 - xviii. Phenolic compounds

(as C6H5OH) mg/l

0.001 Taste and odour objectionable

0.002 -

xix. Mercury ( as Hg) mg/l 0.001

The water becomes toxic

No relaxation

To be tested when pollution is suspected

xx. Cadmium (as Cd) 0.01 xxi. Selenium (as Se) mg/l 0.01 xxii. Arsenic (as As) mg/l 0.05 xxiii. Cyanide (as CN) mg/l 0.05

Encrustation affects domestic use


Events by ENVIS CAZRI

Other Events:

• 9thJune, 2016- An Environment Walk was organised in the Machia Biological Park , Jodhpur

• 10th June, 2016- An essay competition for the school children was organized on the topic of “Wildlife Conservation in Indian Desert”

Date Topic Place

International

27-30, June, 2016 Nairobi, Kenya

25-27, July, 2016 Thailand

29 Aug.-1 Sep., 2016

France

National

United Nations/Kenya Conference on Space

Technology and Applications for Wildlife

Management and Protecting Biodiversity

th5 International Conference on Earth Science & Climate Change

th5 International Eco-summit Ecological Sustainability Engineering Change.

19-20 Aug., 2016 Bahra University, SolanNational Conference on "Recent Advances in Green nanotechnology"

29-30, July, 2016 Guru Nanak Technical Institutions, Hyderabad

National Conference on "Designing Bioactive surfaces with Bacteriophage"

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New Databases of Rajasthan at CAZRI-ENVIS Website

• Trends of rural and urban population in various districts of Rajasthan.

• Trends of livestock population in various districts of Rajasthan.

ENVIS CAZRI Website

Compiled & Uploaded by : IT Assistant, ENVIS, ICAR-CAZRI, JodhpurMiss. Taru Mathur,

ESERT NVIRONMENT EWSLETTER - ENVIS Resource ...

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